Plainview residents become full citizens

Gail M. Williams | The Herald

Published 10:56 am, Saturday, September 29, 2012

Photo: Gail M. Williams | Plainview Herald

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Lydia Castillo met with the three students for one-on-one tutoring sessions until they were ready to take the U.S. citizenship exam. Castillo is at right. Across from her, far to near, are Hilario Garcia, Halimo Ali and Felipe de Jesus Chairez.

Lydia Castillo met with the three students for one-on-one tutoring sessions until they were ready to take the U.S. citizenship exam. Castillo is at right. Across from her, far to near, are Hilario Garcia,

Felipe de Jesus Chairez, far left, and Hilario Garcia, far right, proudly hold their citizenship certificates. Lydia Castillo, left center, and Halimo Ali, right center, display class materials. Ali has passed her citizenship test and will be sworn in as a citizen soon.

Three new U.S. citizens will give you the answer to that question without hesitating. It is the U.S. Constitution, and the question is one of 100 that those who want to become citizens must be able to answer when they take their citizenship test.

Hilario Garcia, Halimo Ali and Felipe de Jesus Chairez recently passed their citizenship exam after studying in one-on-one sessions with Lydia Castillo of the Hale County Literacy Council. Garcia and Chairez are originally from Mexico, and Ali is a refugee from Somalia.

Garcia, 49, was born in Monterrey and has lived in the United States 25 years. He works at Cargill and says that the job there was one of the reasons he decided to stay in the United States.

His shift at Cargill ends at 3 p.m., and on three days out of the week, Garcia went straight from work to the Literacy Council where he studied the test questions and answers. At work and at home, Garcia continued to learn the lessons using his MP3 player.

“I became a citizen for the good of my family, to able to progress in this country and just to be proud to be an American,” Garcia said.

Garcia is married with four children. His wife also is studying for her citizenship test.

Ali, 50, a refugee from Somalia, also works at Cargill. She has been in this country six years. After coming from a country torn by civil war, Ali said she finds “peace, safety and freedom here.”

“It’s still no good in Somalia,” she said, and added, “I love this country.”

Ali has had to adjust to “the snow, the cold and the ice” in Plainview, which is not really surprising since the country of Somalia is located on the equator on the west coast of Africa..

Ali, who has a son in Dallas and a daughter in Ethiopia, has taken and passed the citizenship test and expects to be sworn in soon. She remembers that during the test, she was asked the date of Independence Day (“July 4, 1776”), and that she was asked to write Abraham Lincoln’s name.

Chairez, 26, came to the U.S. from Zacatecas when he was 9 years old. He moved to Plainview from El Paso at the age of 17 and worked for Cargill until he was 21. At that time, he became a truck driver.

Now, however, Chairez is unable to work because he is battling cancer.

“I have adrenal cortical carcinoma,” he said.

Chairez was diagnosed with a tumor in September 2009 and further diagnosed with cancer that December. The cancer extended from his stomach to his hip.

“I had total hip replacement. This part, it’s all metal,” he said, indicating his right hip.

Chairez underwent further surgery both the week before and the week after he took the citizenship test. The first procedure involved cutting through his stomach to his spine and placing a catheter.

Then the catheter came out, and Chairez underwent further surgery.

“They had to go back and make the incision bigger,” he said.

Chairez was sworn in on Aug. 29. In spite of health struggles, he said it was worthwhile to go through the process and obtain his citizenship.

“I had to do it, to set a good example for my family,” he said.

Chairez is married and has two daughters, ages 4 and 1. His wife expects to start working on the citizenship process soon, and his mother is studying for the test at this time.

Before taking the test, applicants are fingerprinted, which takes place in Lubbock. Within two months’ time following the fingerprinting, the applicant is sent a notification stating the time and place of the test, which takes place in Irving. The fee for taking the test is $685.

“I tell them, don’t send in your money before you’ve studied for the test!” Castillo said. Some of the applicants don’t realize how quickly the test takes place after the fingerprinting and have to scramble in order to pass.

According to the Hale County Literacy Council website, the citizenship program is designed to prepare those seeking naturalization for the test and interview portions of the process. Students must be at least 18, must possess a permanent residency card, and must speak, read and write English on at least a middle-school level. Applicants are assessed during an intake interview and paired with a tutor for weekly instructional meetings that best fit the schedules of both.

“Our literacy services are free whether someone wants to work on ESL or get their GED or apply for citizenship,” Castillo said.

For information about volunteering for or receiving the services of Hale County Literacy Council, call 806-293-6186.